When you start a new Node.js project, the first tool you will use is npm (Node Package Manager). One of the most important files that npm creates and manages is package.json. This file holds metadata about your project and is essential for managing dependencies, scripts, and other project-specific settings.

The package.json file contains several key fields:

• Name: the name of your project;
• Version: the current version of your project;
• Description: a short description of what your project does;
• Main: the entry point file for your application (such as index.js);
• Scripts: custom commands you can run with npm run;
• Dependencies: a list of packages your project needs to run;
• DevDependencies: packages needed only for development and testing.

Having a package.json file makes it easy to share your project with others or deploy it to different environments. Anyone can install all required dependencies just by running npm install, and your project's metadata ensures consistency and reliability.

Creating a New Project

In your terminal, run:

npm init -y

This command automatically creates a package.json file with default values. You can edit this file anytime to update project metadata, add dependencies, or define scripts.

With this file, anyone can clone your project and install all dependencies simply by running:

npm install

Run your project with:

npm start